Maddie & Tae: ‘Through the Madness, Vol 2’ – EP Review
Maddie & Tae’s new EP, Through the Madness, Vol 2 , out now, September 23rd on all streaming platforms. Listen to the brand new project below and check out our full review.
Just nine months after the January release of their EP, Through the Madness, Volume 1, Maddie & Tae are back with its younger sister, Volume 2. Like on Volume 1, the Mercury Nashville pair co-wrote all of the collection’s eight tracks while also enlisting some of Nashville’s biggest names, including Ryan Hurd, Josh Thompson, Jessie Jo Dillon, Jimmy Robbins, and Josh Kerr.
As the gold standard in women’s country harmonies, the duo only further solidifies that position with each subsequent release, and Volume 2 is no exception. Here, they continue to do what they do best: weave classic country storytelling with intrinsic harmonies.
While both Maddie Font and Taylor (Tae) Kerr are happily married, they shine when they’re channeling heartbreak. This is apparent on songs like “These Tears,” “Drinking to Remember,” “Watching Love Leave,” and “Well in Your World.”
“Well in Your World” deals with the pair wondering what happened to a high school sweetheart. The radio-ready mid-tempo finds them in a conundrum of not necessarily missing someone but wondering what happened to them. “I’d be lying if I said I missed you // But I’d be lying if I said you never crossed my mind, sometimes,” They admit. “We’re a thousand miles away from who we were // When we were just a boy and a girl // I hope all is well in your world.”
“These Tears” is a sparse and stunning ballad, the pair harmonizing over simple acoustic and steel guitars, vulnerabilities on full display. “These tears, should’ve been cried long ago,” They sing mournfully, heartbreak evident in every note. “All these years of hanging on is getting old // So I’m letting go. I can’t keep them from falling down // I guess I’m crying them now.”
On “Drinking to Remember,” the pair puts a clever lyrical twist on the idea of drowning one’s sorrows at the bottom of a glass. While most drink to forget, Maddie & Tae are drinking to remember a lost love. “A love like ours is too good to forget,” They muse over a glass of his favorite whiskey. “So I’m drinking to remember.”
In a similar vein, both “Girl After My Own Heart” and “More Than Maybe” are absolute masterpieces, taking classic tropes and turning them on their heads. “Girl After My Own Heart” has the pair warning another woman to stay away from their man. While they can admit that this other woman is “rocking that dress,” she’s “wasting her time wanting what’s mine.” Meanwhile, “More Than Maybe,” has them realizing that a guy in their life isn’t truly reciprocating their love. “How many times can a girl’s heart break?” They ask. “I deserve more than maybe.”
“Every Night Every Morning” is one of the album’s happier moments, telling the tale of falling in love over and over again. Here, they weave patented harmonies over a twangy country melody. “Every night and every morning I fall all over again and again,” They admit on the romantic ballad. “And you don’t even know it // Baby, if you’re wondering when you hold me // If I still feel forever, only Every night and every morning.”
The EP ends with “Spring Cleaning,” an infectiously sassy kick-off tune, laced with hints of 90’s country and inspirations like the Chicks, Gretchen Wilson, and Miranda Lambert. The pair channel their inner Marie Kondo, whom they mention on the track, getting rid of someone who no longer sparks joy in their lives.
“Ooh, you’re taking up space // It’s time to tidy up and take you out my brain // Ooh, what do you see? Cleaning out the closet looks good on me // It ain’t spring, but I’m cleaning house // It ain’t spring, but I’m cleaning out // It ain’t spring, but I’m cleaning house // So, come and get your shit out”
Like Through the Madness Volume 1, this second collection continues to show Maddie & Tae growing and evolving, while also managing to do what they do best. It’s a must-listen for any country music fan, and when listening to the volumes back-to-back, it’s sixteen tracks of harmonic musical bliss.
Through the Madness, Volume 2 EP Tracklist:
- “Well In Your World” (Maddie Font, Taylor Kerr, Ryan Hurd, Jimmy Robbins)^
- “Every Night Every Morning” (Maddie Font, Taylor Kerr, Jonathan Singleton, Brock Berryhill)^
- “Drinking To Remember” (Maddie Font, Taylor Kerr, Benjy Davis, Daniel Ross)^
- “Girl After My Own Heart” (Maddie Font, Taylor Kerr, Matt Dragstrem, Josh Thompson)^
- “Watching Love Leave” (Maddie Font, Taylor Kerr, Benjy Davis, Daniel Ross)^
- “More Than Maybe” (Maddie Font, Taylor Kerr, Jessie Jo Dillon, Jimmy Robbins)^
- “These Tears” (Maddie Font, Taylor Kerr, Laura Veltz, Jon Green)*
- “Spring Cleaning” (Maddie Font, Taylor Kerr, Josh Kerr, Tayla Parx)
Maddie & Tae’s brand new EP, ‘Through the Madness, Vol 2’ is out now.
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The duo are currently headlining CMT’s Next Women of Country Tour.
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Through the Madness Volume 2 is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music here on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.
